TWIG: MiSA’s AIR Program

TWIG is a competitive, juried, 6-month artist studio residency program offering emerging and established artists the opportunity to engage the Milwaukee arts community and its public in critical dialogue about contemporary art.

Located at the Mitchell Street Arts’ 12,000-square-foot facility on the near Southside, TWIG provides workspace, creative community, exhibition opportunities and professional development for Milwaukee-based, contemporary artists.

Our Current TWIG Residents

Sterling (he/him)

Sterling is a Milwaukee born artist. He studied concept art in Singapore and is a United States Marine Corps veteran. In his free time Sterling enjoys reading history and playing the accordion. Sterling has been following politics since 2011. He hopes his work on The MAGA Chronicles can convey and share his love and interest for the story of our times. 

You can listen to him play accordion here: https://www.instagram.com/random_accordion_man/

Leslie Berumen (she/her)

Leslie Berumen is an artist and art therapist in the Milwaukee area. Her work uses paint and mixed media to explore relationships and human connection across time and in memories.

Nicole Gahl (she/her)

Nicole is a Milwaukee-based artist creating cyanotypes and lover's eyes, inspired by art history, creative women, the natural world, and her hometown.

Past TWIG Artists

Spring/Summer 2026

Sterling (he/him)

Sterling is a Milwaukee born artist. He studied concept art in Singapore and is a United States Marine Corps veteran. In his free time Sterling enjoys reading history and playing the accordion. Sterling has been following politics since 2011. He hopes his work on The MAGA Chronicles can convey and share his love and interest for the story of our times. 

You can listen to him play accordion here: https://www.instagram.com/random_accordion_man/

Seth Czaplewski (he/him)

Seth Czaplewski (b.1987 St. Louis, MO) holds an MFA in Studio Art from Washington University in St Louis and a BFA from the University of Central Florida in Ceramics. He is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Milwaukee, WI. He has been exhibited in the Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI, The Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, MI, The Albin Polasek Museum, Winter Park, FL, The Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, The Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, MO

Summer/Fall 2025

Ahmari Benton (she/her)

Ahmari Benton is an interdisciplinary artist whose work spans wet and dry media, collage, and textile art. Her work centers on interrogating boundaries, self-identity, and social identity within the realms of gender and race politics. “As a multidisciplinary visual artist, I am deeply interested in the intersections of identity, place, and material storytelling. My creative practice draws from painting and fashion design to explore how visual narratives can affirm personal and collective histories—particularly within Black and urban communities. I am intellectually driven by questions of visibility, adornment, and how traditional and contemporary craft practices can be used to challenge dominant cultural narratives.”

Yesica Coria (she/her)

Yesica Coria Zavaleta is a graduate of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Veracruz in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. where she earned a degree in Graphic Design. For over 12 years, she has worked extensively with corn husk, her signature material, using it in various forms such as sculpture, folk art, and, more recently, abstract art. This artistic journey has led her to teach in a variety of settings, including private schools and nonprofit organizations. She is currently part of Familia de Arte, a community-based group of artists who collaborate to beautify neighborhoods through ceramic murals. “As part of my commitment to promoting ancestral art and building community, I feel passionate about offering workshops where participants can learn an ancient art form while working together to create a sculpture. Two years ago, I led a project to build a 7-foot-tall Catrina with community support. I’d like to expand on that experience—creating a new sculpture and sharing the process through collaborative workshops that connect people through tradition and creativity.”